Happy Monday GPODers!

As I’m sure most of us remember, when we were all encouraged to stay at home during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic just a few years ago, countless people went to their yards to plant gardens for the first time in years or for the very first times in their lives. This sparked a whole new wave of gardeners and growers who got bit by the gardening bug and still obsess over their new plants to this day. Two such gardeners are Kim Arcand and her husband, who recently shared the garden progress they have made since 2020:

My husband and I became “pandemic gardeners” in northern R.I. in 2020 since we found ourselves at home for long stretches of time. Our backyard had been a bit of a wasteland previously as we had primarily been occupied with raising our two children (weekends at the soccer field), our broader family, friends, travel, etc. We were starting almost from scratch, and with little experience. In 2020 we focused on hardscaping with a pergola, patio, stoned pond, and gravel path with stepping stones. Then over the next few years we worked (and still are working) on filling in with the flora.

Our yard is heavily wooded with maple, oak and pine trees, so it is mostly shade, with lots of critters, mostly acidic soil, some erosion issues from a dramatic slope down to a wetland. I dove in like a scientist to figure out what might work best in that environment in temperamental New England weather. We broke our back yard space down into 5 rooms – a secret garden tucked into the back corner (and which has the most sun but is still partial sun), our deck and patio gardens (partial shade), a pond garden (partial shade), and a deep shade garden. Our front and side yards have a small greenhouse area (partial sun) and a walkway garden (partial sun).

As newbie gardeners we have stayed with tried and true specimens for wooded areas: hydrangeas (it IS New England after all), hostas (our relationship started in dislike many years ago then swiftly moved to love as a shade gardener), astilbe, heuchera, Japanese maples, azaleas, columbine, boxwoods, ivy, lamium, brunnera, and similar species. I have an extensive indoor plant collection and we move them outside after Mother’s Day as well. We also tuck in some annuals here and there – in baskets hanging on trees or fences, in pots with large plants and in small pots or window boxes – for pops of color.

The first of the garden rooms, Kim’s “Deep Shade Garden.” You can absolutely see why Kim has learned to love hostas—with so much variation in shape, color, and size, you can create an interesting and diverse garden scene with just one genus of plant.

Next up is the “Pond Garden,” a real slice of serenity! Adding any kind of water feature, large or small, always adds another dimension to your garden space and takes it to the next level. And a deep, red Japanese maple adds both incredible texture and a pop of color to a lush, green garden.

The first glimpse at Kim’s “Secret Garden,” which is so whimsical and fun. I’m a strong believer that your home should be your place of solace and escape, and your garden is just the outdoor extension of you home. Having little, private areas in the garden allows you to sit, take in nature, and tune out the noise of the world. I particularly love the peak at Kim’s indoor plant collection in their summer home. Would love to see more of it!

Another angle of the “Secret Garden,” showcasing the incredible hydrangeas that keep this hidden sanctuary private. I absolutely adore how Kim places her containers close together so it gives the illusion of mounds and mounds of flowers in one enormous pot. It also shows that there are so many options for creating some privacy rather than just the standard big, green hedges.

Lastly, the “Deck Garden” full of potted wonders. An absolutely enormous elephant’s ear towers over a collection of other fabulous foliage plants. In the foreground, a Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata, Zones 9–11) and lavender add spiky texture to a collection of delicate flowers.

Thanks for the tour, Kim! I don’t think any of us would have guessed you and your husband started all of this just four years ago 🙂

Have a garden you’d like to share?

Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!

To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.

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